Evolve

Editor Roundtable: Going Head-To-Head In Evolve

Evolve's asymmetrical multiplayer has been piquing the
interest of gamers ever since our February cover reveal. Our
previous hands-on time with the game focused on The
Goliath, a brawler-type monster that focuses on melee attacks, along with the firstfourhumanhunters.
This E3 Turtle Rock introduced us to another four hunters, along with the
Cthulhu-esque Kraken, a levitating range-based monster with some powerful
electrical attacks. GI editors Jeff Marchiafava, Jeff Cork, and Bryan
Vore tried out the new teams and discuss their very different experiences in the game.

Jeff M: So I played as the Kraken, and I had a pretty
decent advantage because not only have I had the chance to play the game before, but I also had an awesome developer from Turtle Rock whispering strategies to me
over my headset the entire match. Plus, I had no problem being a merciless jerk
to you guys...

Jeff C: Having your own personal life coach basically
made the whole thing unfair to begin with. That said, I had a great time until
our inevitable defeat. I played as the support class, taking on the specific
role of Bucket, an android with a detachable head. I was pretty happy with the
assignment – Turtle Rock passed out wristbands with our designated roles
beforehand – since I enjoy helping my teammates out more than playing a solo
commando in multiplayer shooters.

Bryan: I was also in a helper role as the medic. Just
after vowing to Cork that I wouldn't let the team down, I immediately walked
straight into a man-eating plant. Someone had to run back and shoot me out.

Jeff M: That sucks, though not for me, of course. So what were your guys' special abilities?

Bryan: I was Lazarus and could resurrect dead players
(as his name suggests). I also had a Predator-like cloaking ability and could heal myself
and others within a certain radius. My guy had a sniper rifle, which I'm
generally not the best with, but JeffM's huge monster body was a big enough target that I could shoot from the hip at him.

Jeff M: Oh yeah, I remember Lazarus being a real
jerk; he's not as tough as some of the other characters, but he's the only
medic who can actually bring someone back from the dead. Usually, if you kill
someone, they're gone until the next dropship comes down, so you can stop
worrying about them. If Lazarus is on the battlefield, however, you have to keep guarding the corpses of killed hunters, or else he'll resurrect them. The Turtle Rock developer strongly suggested
that I try to take you out first. What about your character, Cork?

Jeff C: Bryan's personal cloaking device was cute,
but it was nothing compared to Bucket's. With the press of a button, I could
essentially turn anyone within range invisible. I also had the ability to drop
automated turrets and remove my head and use it as a flying drone. The last
ability proved to be my downfall; while my team was chasing after the trapper's
pet trapjaw, who was hot on Kraken's scent, I thought I'd scout ahead
using my noggin. I puttered around for a while, but it was a waste of time. I
didn't find you, Jeff, and I had to spend way too much time catching up to my
teammates afterward. In my haste to catch up, I managed to land from a jet-pack
boost right into the waiting jaws of a carnivorous plant. Apparently, it has a
taste for tin, too.

Jeff M: Well, if it makes you feel any better, those
stupid turrets you put out continued to shoot me every time I ran back to that
area on the map.

Jeff C: That does make me feel better, actually.

Bryan: Oooh, that's good to know.

Jeff M: So was it difficult tracking the Kraken?
Could you see me floating around on the map? You guys managed to sneak up on me
a couple of times, and before I knew it I was trapped in the tracker's mobile
arena.

Bryan: It felt like we spent a lot of the match
running after the trapper's alien dog. JeffM must have been zipping all over the
place. It was cool seeing all the weird wildlife along the way. The map seemed
huge.

Jeff C: I'm not able to hold them up against one
another for confirmation, but the map they showed at E3 seemed a lot bigger
than the one we played during our cover trip. The pace was more of a slow burn
because of that. I'd be interested to see how Goliath plays on the level, too.
Kraken's bluish-black skin seemed to provide natural camouflage in the environment, and I
wonder if Goliath's brown, scaly armor would make him stand out more.

Jeff M: The level also seemed to feature more
verticality too. Goliath can scale walls and the hunters have jetpacks, so I
guess it's not too much of an issue, but the level did seem to favor Kraken's
method of traversal. His special abilities were also suited to the level; I
could use the Lightning Strike, Banshee Mines, and Vortex from the air, and the
Vortex would send enemies flying backwards, which was particularly effective when you guys were hanging out on ledges.

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